The Russian paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group, or PMC Wagner, is reportedly attempting to recruit volunteers for the war in Ukraine by placing ads on Pornhub.
As noted on Wednesday by the malware research group vx-undergroud, the private military company appears to be showing video advertisements throughout the Russian version of the adult site. Pornhub can only be accessed in Russia by users who’ve confirmed their identity through the social media platform Vkontakte.
The video depicts a blonde woman twirling a lollipop in her mouth. A rough translation of the advertisement’s audio suggests that viewers are being encouraged to stop masturbating and instead join PMC Wagner.
“We are the best fucking private army in the world. We are recruiting fighters from all regions of Russia,” a female voice states. “Do not jerk off, but go to work in the PMC.”
The purported advertisement was originally revealed in a Russian-language Telegram channel on Wednesday. The Telegram user said that the video appeared in certain regions of the country when a VPN wasn’t in use.
The Daily Dot reached out to Pornhub to inquire about the advertisement but did not receive a response by press time.
It remains unclear how many times the video has been viewed and how long the alleged advertising campaign has been going.
The Wagner Group, often referred to as the “private,” personal army of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly made headlines throughout the war in Ukraine given its brutal actions and widespread use of Russian prisoners.
Just last month, footage circulated online showing a Russian mercenary being executed with a sledgehammer by the group over alleged attempts to flee the war.
The organization is currently at odds with the Russian government and has accused the Kremlin of using its troops as “cannon fodder” in the war.
Update 4:42pm CT: Pornhub confirmed to the Daily Dot that the ads were running on its site, but that the company removed them for violating its ban on political ads.
